Marlins starters heaping praise on Olivo

SAN DIEGO -- The wins over the weekend went to the Marlins' starting pitchers. The credit, however, is going to catcher Miguel Olivo.

Kevin Slowey went out of his way to praise Olivo's game-calling in Sunday's 14-2 win over the Phillies.

Slowey struck out seven and scattered two hits over seven scoreless innings.

"For me, the whole game, it was me out there kind of being guided by Miguel Olivo," Slowey said. "That guy has been playing baseball a long time. He's caught games that have been blowouts on both sides. He's caught close games. He's caught Cy Young winners. When you're in foreign territory over the course of the year, you look to him."

Marlins fans may remember that in 2006, it was Olivo who was behind the plate for Anibal Sanchez's no-hitter against the D-backs.

"He called an incredible game," Slowey said of Sunday's performance. "All I had to do was worry about throwing. It was really a pleasure."

Slowey wasn't the only starter to make a point of mentioning Olivo. Rookie Jose Fernandez offered similar comments after his seven-shutout-inning, nine-strikeout performance on Saturday night.

On a youthful squad, Olivo offers a veteran presence in a backup catching role. Rob Brantly, 23, is the regular catcher. But Brantly has less than one full season in the big leagues.

Olivo says there are no secrets to what he is offering.

"I'm just following the scouting report," he said. "I come here early, I watch the video of how other teams are pitching [opposing hitters]. I follow them."

Showing no improvement, Solano heads to DL

SAN DIEGO -- Still experiencing discomfort in his left side, Marlins second baseman Donovan Solano was placed on the 15-day disabled list after Monday's 5-0 loss to the Padres at Petco Park.

Utility infielder Nick Green will have his contract selected from Triple-A New Orleans, and he will join the team on Tuesday. The team will announce a corresponding 40-man roster move then.

Solano was scratched from the lineup on Saturday night at Philadelphia, and he has missed three straight starts.

Manager Mike Redmond said Solano has an intercostal issue.

"He's not better. He's the same," Redmond said.

Chris Valaika is filling in at second base. But the bench is thin already with Austin Kearns missing a few days because he is on the MLB bereavement list.

Green, who accepted an assignment to Triple-A New Orleans after being designated for assignment on Thursday, is batting .321 with one home run and three RBIs in eight games for Miami.

LoMo set for extended spring games

SAN DIEGO -- Logan Morrison is scheduled to see game action on Tuesday.

Recovering from right knee surgery, Morrison will start off playing in extended spring training games. The Marlins first baseman opened the season on the 60-day disabled list, and the earliest he is eligible to be reinstated is May 30.

Morrison had surgery last September, and a more realistic return date could be mid-June.

"LoMo is going to start playing in extended spring training games on Tuesday. That's exciting," manager Mike Redmond said. "He's been running the bases. He's ready for game action. That's good. He hasn't played in a long time. He will be able to go out there and start getting some at-bats."

Catcher Jeff Mathis, on the DL with a broken right collarbone, will play one more rehab-assignment game with Class A Jupiter. Then, he will be moved to Double-A Jacksonville.

Right-hander Henderson Alvarez, who opened the season on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, played catch on Monday. Recently, Alvarez had a setback. He is starting now to build back up.

Giancarlo Stanton, out with a strained right hamstring, continues to rest and hasn't started any baseball-related activities.

Ruggiano showing off range in center field

SAN DIEGO -- If a pitcher makes a mistake, Justin Ruggiano is more than capable of belting the ball out of the park.

The center fielder showed that in the Marlins' 14-2 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. Ruggiano enjoyed a two-home run game in the series finale.

Defensively, Ruggiano also is showing the ability to cover plenty of ground. He made one of Miami's top defensive plays of the season when he tracked down Chase Utley's deep drive on Sunday.

"I'm not going to blow anyone away with my speed," Ruggiano said.

He's quick to note he will not be confused with speedsters like Philadelphia's Ben Revere.

"I always make sure in BP that I take one group seriously and work on my jumps," Ruggiano said. "I make sure I take the right angles. For me, that's key to everything I do in center, as well as communication with the other outfielders."

Another advance for Ruggiano is playing quality defense in one of the most spacious stadiums in the big leagues -- Marlins Park. At home, he's adapted to playing deeper than in other places. So when he plays at smaller places like Philadephia, he feels more on top of the action.

"It's weird," he said. "Every time on the road lately, I'm playing center and I feel like I'm so shallow. It's such a big difference.

"I can see the catcher's signs. I know what pitches are coming if no one is on second base. It's just funny. That's just how big our ballpark is. If I play back in no doubles [defense] at our ballpark, I feel like I'm a mile from home plate. Whereas, if I play no doubles [in Philadelphia], I feel like I'm at normal depth at our ballpark."

After injury, Hechavarria works on fundamentals

SAN DIEGO -- Spending time on the disabled list with a bruised right elbow served as a reminder that Adeiny Hechavarria needs to get back to the basics.

At the plate, the 24-year-old has simplified his swing and is focused on staying up the middle. Hechavarria showed that on Sunday, belting a grand slam in the third inning after hitting a three-run triple in the first while matching a franchise record with seven RBIs in a 14-2 win over the Phillies.

Along with his offense, Hechavarria also is working on the fundamentals of his throwing. After injuring his elbow, he is reminded to make sound throws. Before the injury, infield coach Perry Hill spotted a mechanical glitch, which may have added stress on the elbow.

Since returning, the shortstop has been cleaning up his motion.

"You get back to square one, the fundamentals and the proper way to do things," Hill said.

Regarded as one of the best infield instructors in the business, Hill noted all phases of players' games can through slumps.

"There are different kinds of slumps," Hill said. "There's not just hitting slumps. You can go through throwing slumps, fielding slumps. There are baserunning slumps. For Hech, you keep stressing the fundamentals.

"He had a little twinge in his arm. We're trying to make the mechanics a little bit more consistent to keep away from that, and to keep it from flaring up. From what I saw, there was a little adjustment that needed to be made. I think he will be fine in the long run."

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.